Here are the rules of smart phone etiquette

With iPhones and Blackberrys seeping into offices, homes as well as classrooms, there is a need for people to practice some smart phone etiquettes, says an expert.

However, it is difficult to demarcate what is socially acceptable or is taboo while using these high-tech gadgets.

“The key is how you choose to use it. It has an off switch, it has a vibrate or silence. You can check voice mail later. You can choose how to use this technology and I think that is very important key to getting it right,” Discovery News quoted Anna Post as saying.

Post is author and spokesperson for the Emily Post Institute, an organisation that specialises in etiquette training.

She said that there are few widely accepted taboos surrounding smart phone behaviour, but that some standard of etiquette is developing.

For Post, the primary barrier to smart phone etiquette is time.

“When the technology almost changes before the society can adapt, it can be confusing for people. We don’t want to be offensive to others, but we have to be using the technology to even start to figure out what can be offensive,” she said

Difference in age plays another role. What’s offensive for one generation may be the norm for another, she said.

“It’s just so funny sometimes the difference in mentality between generations. I might be a little annoyed if my boyfriend took a call at the table, whereas for a younger generation, this is a normal action. Its considerate to answer the phone because it might be important, and to me that’s just a fascinating distinction,” she added.

But Post said some situations are not open for debate.

“Something like 87% of people think that it’s wrong to be using a mobile device at a religious service. I agree completely with that. This is a very solemn occasion. This is a very serious important and respectful moment for the people participating, and its just not appropriate for the occasion,” she added.

Talking of using phones in the restroom, she said: “You know, it’s really funny because I would have said that using cell phones in public restroom is absolutely taboo, and yet when Intel did their survey, they found that 75% of people thought this was ok. As far as I’m concerned if I’m in a public restroom and someone’s on a cell phone it’s like they brought a stranger into the room with them. Its not a very comforting feeling.”

Marketing Professor Joel Poor at the University of Missouri hopes etiquette surrounding smart phone use in the classroom develops at a quicker pace.

In the last two years, he’s noticed a great increase among students texting and playing games on their smart phones when they should be paying attention to him.

“We live in a very fast paced world, but I’m confident that these students who feel compelled to text aren’t doing so to save the life of a family member. There’s no real urgent need. I think in terms of etiquette they should keep their devices off,” he added.